Abstract
Purpose :
Interleukin 38 (IL-38) is a novel identified cytokine of IL-1 family in which some members are important in inflammation and angiogenesis. However, the role of IL-38 in angiogenesis is unknown. The aim of the present study is to explore the effect of IL-38 on angiogenesis.
Methods :
Mouse oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) model was induced of by exposure of hyperoxia (75% oxygen) to C57BL/6J mice from postnatal day 7 (P7) to P12 and then returned to room air. The mice were intravitreal injection with 1μl of IL-38 dissolved at different concentrations (0, 5, or 25 ng/μl) at P12. At P17, neovascular region (tufts) and avascular area were analyzed. In addition, the effect of IL-38 on the migration, proliferation and tube formation were examined by human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in vitro.
Results :
In vitro, IL-38 was expressed in endothelial cells and was down-regulated under hypoxic condition. IL-38 reduced the proliferation, migration and tube formation of endothelial cells in a dose-dependent manner. In vivo, IL-38 was expressed in mouse retina. Neonatal mice administrated with IL-38 in a mouse model of oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) showed that retina neovascularization was reduced.
Conclusions :
Our findings suggest that IL-38 is an antiangiogenic cytokine in pathophysiological settings.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2017 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Baltimore, MD, May 7-11, 2017.